Caucasia
= Formation = In early 2009, the region that currently compromises Caucasia was of many different nationalities. Georgia and Armenia were under the protection of Rebel Army. Crimea and Russian Caucasia were part of the Greater Nordlandic Reich. Most of the Caucasus, and the region of Kazakhstan Caucasia owns, lacked a central authority. In May, a small number of local politicians began drafting up a form of government, a way to centralize the region a bit. On May 25, they entered negotiations with Rebel Army, and after a rather easy negotiation, were granted independence. Name The original name of the new nation was the Republic of Drakoria. No one knows how this name came to be applied to the region, but there are unconfirmed rumors that it came up while President Drake and a few other founders were under the influence of cannabis. Drakoria was renamed in August of 2009 to more accurately represent the region which made it up. The nation was renamed the Kingdom of Caucasia, and the flag of the defunct Transcaucasian Federation was adopted. Declaration of Existence Drakoria officially announced it's independence on May 27, 2009, with the confirmation and protection of Rebel Army. The beginnings of the nation were humble, spanning just the nations of Armenia and Georgia. However, not long after, Azerbaijan and the rest of the Caucasus region also joined the Republic. Early Agreements The Republic remained fairly neutral during it's first days of existence, short of it's protectorate with Rebel Army. There were few other nations in the region; Drakoria's only neighbors were Nordland and Rebel Army. When the Federal Republic of Grøenlandia established a small region along the northern part of the Caspian Sea, they approached Drakoria with a proposal to build a canal through the Caucasus and Nordland. An agreement was reached, and construction began to link the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Azov. This was accompanied by a Mutual Defense Pact between Drakoria and Grøenlandia. = History = Caucasia's history isn't exactly extensive, and it isn't exactly small. They've participated in several international events, but have rarely been the center of them. Republic of Drakoria The Republican era of Drakoria/Caucasia is perhaps the most uninteresting. Drakoria was small, insignificant, and scared of the world around it. Pax Pacis Ultimatum In July of 2009, there was significant controversy surrounding the Southeast Asian nation of Pax Pacis, mixed with tensions in the Caucasus. When the CSSR fell, the Slavorussian Empire moved into the region, and attempted to occupy the Trans-Caucasus Canal that ended there. Pax Pacis dropped a number of 'peacekeepers' around the canal to assist Slavorussia. While President Drake was more than willing to discuss the issue with Slavorussia, he was not keen on having Pax Pacis interfere in his people's land, and other European rulers were unhappy with the interference in Europe by an Asian nation. At the same time, Pax Pacis had moved their fleet around the island of Borneo, cutting off the nation from trade. In doing so, they violated Borneo's national waters, airspace, and passed through Selenarctos's waters, while attempting to move peacekeepers into Italy, as well. Fed up, Drakoria issued an ultimatum to Pax Pacis, threatening only an embargo and travel restrictions, but preparing for war. This ultimatum was supported strongly by many nations worldwide. Pax Pacis stood down, but this was not the end of it. Government Change With the peaceful resolution of the Pax Pacis Dispute, many Drakorians were angry at the inability of their government to protect their people. Protests were started, and some turned violent. In a bout of depression, Jason R. Drake committed suicide, and his brother, James Drake, reformed the government into an absolute monarchy, styling himself King James I. Around this time, Valerie Kingswell, leader of Pax Pacis, killed a high-ranking Dragonisian government official, and was supposedly killed by Dragonisian guards. The subsequent destruction of Pax Pacis led to improved stability in Drakoria. Kingdom of Drakoria The Kingdom of Drakoria was shortlived in name. It lasted only a month before the name of the nation was changed to Caucasia. New Obligations Around this time, an organization called the Central European Union was formed to protect Europe from forces abroad. In an effort to promote peaceful relations with the rest of Europe, King James signed the CEU. However, this was short lived. In addition to the CEU, Drakoria signed a number of MDPs and MDoAPs over this time period. Name Change King James opted to rename Drakoria to the Kingdom of Caucasia, reflecting the location of the national seat of power, the Caucasus region. Kingdom of Caucasia Eurasian Union Caucasia was a founding member of the Eurasian Union, a bloc based primarily on Europe and Asia, in the interest of mutual defense and intercontinental stability, on August 17, 2009. However, after a war with the Holy Roman Empire, the Eurasian Union's reputation was forever tarnished. The EU was involved in the Roman-Eurasian War and issued an ultimatum to the HRE during the Roman-German War, effectively ending hostilities. It was disbanded on January 6, 2010 after multiple withdrawals. Caucasian Civil War In November of 2009, King James I was diagnosed with severe stomach cancer. Knowing his time was short, he called his sons, James II and Jason, to his office, and announced that the former would be king upon his death. The king set about tutoring his heir in politics, seeking to endow as much of his knowledge as possible into Prince James II before his death. During this time, however, the relationship between James II and Jason worsened, and evolved into fistfights on more than one occasion. While the King was oblivious to this, Adviser Donegan was well aware of it, and informed the king's heir that he would support him over Jason if the latter did anything irrational. Meanwhile, Jason approached Adviser Stapp, and convinced him to support him. King James II abdicated, surprising everyone, as he was expected to rule until death. James II succeeded him, at the young age of 18. James I flew off to Rebel Army, hoping to visit his old friends before his untimely death. The new king set about familiarizing himself with the most intimate parts of the Caucasian establishment, and his brother, Jason, began organizing a revolt in eastern Caucasia. On December 3, 2009, he officially challenged the reign of King James II, claiming to be the legitimate King of Caucasia, attacking his brother as a liar. In a swift blitz, his militias seized control of huge ammunition stocks in Eastern Caucasia, giving a quick advantage to the Pretender. Artillery moved to the Caucasian-Kazakh border, and began bombarding the Caucasian positions. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, a medical treatment developed by scientists in Rebel Army was applied to James I's stomach cancer, effectively killing the cells and curing him. Soon after, the former king learned of the Caucasian Civil War, and issued a statement confirming James II as the rightful heir. Rebel Army sent 300,000 soldiers north to Caucasia to finish the war quickly. Jason, panicked, issued a decree to conscript Caucasians living in Eastern Caucasia. An army of almost 1,000,000 conscripts was armed with equipment from captured stockpiles, and half of this force began to surge forward at the Caucasian border. The plan was simple: force the Caucasian Royal Armed Forces back with sheer weight of numbers, and march on Baku, where the king had taken up residence. The plan was brought to an end by armed citizens in the border regions; thousands of citizens, wielding the arms they were required to have under the Civilian Arms Act. These armed citizens were able to hold up the Pretender forces long enough for the RA Armed Forces to arrive, at which time the Pretender's conscripts threw down their weapons. As this happened, the people of Urumqi, the capital of Jason's rebellion, rose up in open revolt in favor of King James II, stormed the palace, killing Regent Scott Stapp, and capturing the 'King' Jason I. When Caucasian Marines arrived in the city, they found Jason in the custody of the self-styled Militia of the King, which disbanded later that week. General Hazi Nazar, who had been in charge of the Pretender forces after the death of Stapp and capture of Jason, signed an unconditional surrender to the Kingdom of Caucasia. Jason I was tried for and convicted of High Treason, Pretense for the Throne, and Attempted Assassination of the King, and was executed by firing squad. Casualties for the war are below. Kingdom of Caucasia: 112,000 dead, 88,000 wounded Caucasian Pretender: 214,000 dead, 110,000 wounded Civilian: 32,000 dead, 84,000 wounded The day the casualties came in was immortalized as Red Caucasia Day, or the Day Caucasia Cried Red. Repairing Relations In January of 2010, King James II decided to repair relations that had been damaged by Caucasia's allies and former regime. This meant making amends to the Empire of Slavorussia and German Democratic Republic. After cordial meetings, Caucasia signed an ODP with GDR on January 13, 2010, and an NAP with Slavorussia on January 29, 2010. Slavic Federation On February 17, 2010, the Kingdom of Caucasia and the Republic of Greater Dalmatia, having been allies since the latter's formation, merged together to form the Slavic Federation, a constitutional monarchy, with James II as king. Most of the treaties of the two former states were maintained.